After Escaping Marriage - Chapter 41
Chapter 41
"Ms. Yu!"
Yu Qingtang froze, her steps faltering.
She turned slightly, nodding politely towards Cheng Zhanxi. "Ms. Cheng," she said coolly.
Cheng Zhanxi, seemingly oblivious to her aloofness, beamed. "What a coincidence!" she said.
Yu Qingtang opened her mouth, about to say, "I'm going home now," when Cheng Zhanxi, interrupting her, asked enthusiastically, "I made lotus root and pork rib soup. Would you like to try some?"
Yu Qingtang silently breathed a sigh of relief. This scenario had been in her list of possibilities since she agreed to rent the apartment to Cheng Zhanxi. She had already prepared a response.
Yu Qingtang: "I've already eaten. I'm full. And I don't eat late-night snacks."
Cheng Zhanxi nodded thoughtfully. "Is that so…?" she murmured.
Yu Qingtang nodded. "Then I'll..."
Cheng Zhanxi interrupted her again. "Wait for me," she said, and without waiting for a response, hurried back into her apartment.
Yu Qingtang watched as Cheng Zhanxi, clad in a soft pink pajama set, disappeared behind the closing door.
The sound of her slippers against the floor, a rhythmic tapping, made it easy to forget she was a twenty-seven-year-old woman.
What a happy family she must have, to have nurtured such a free and sincere soul, Yu Qingtang thought.
She instinctively took a small step forward, then stopped, catching herself. She lowered her eyes, then looked up at the blank wall of the hallway.
Cheng Zhanxi reappeared, a bright smile on her face.
Two minutes later, Yu Qingtang sat in her dining room, staring at the container of pork rib soup in front of her, wondering how she had gotten there.
What had just happened?
—"I live alone, and I can't finish all this soup. It would be a waste to throw it away. Please help me out, Ms. Yu."
—"You don't have to drink it tonight. You can put it in the fridge and reheat it tomorrow. It'll still taste just as good. I simmered it for hours, so the ribs are very tender."
—"You must be tired after coming back from your grandparents’ place. I won't keep you any longer. Get some rest. See you tomorrow!"
Yu Qingtang’s lips opened and closed several times, but under the combined force of Cheng Zhanxi's rapid-fire words and sincere gaze, she had only managed a weak, "…See you tomorrow."
Yu Qingtang: "..."
The best way to deal with Ms. Cheng is probably to pretend to be deaf and mute, she thought.
Then, in a moment of despair, she remembered Cheng Zhanxi knew sign language. Although she didn’t appear fluent, with Cheng Zhanxi’s skills, she could probably express anything with her hands.
Was there anyone in this world who could handle Ms. Cheng?
Yu Qingtang touched the soup container; the porcelain felt warm, the aroma wafting from beneath the lid.
Her throat tightened. She carried the container to the kitchen, placing it on the counter by the sink. She lifted the lid, held it over the sink, tilted the container, and watched indifferently as the milky white soup flowed out, disappearing down the drain.
The pork rib soup she made at home was always too clear, rarely achieving this milky white consistency. The skill and effort required were evident.
As the soup level decreased, the tender ribs and lotus root slices at the bottom became visible.
Yu Qingtang's fingers tightened around the container, and she stopped pouring.
Half the soup remained.
Yu Qingtang took a deep breath, exhaling slowly, then retrieved a spoon from the drawer and sat down at the dining table.
The soup was rich and flavorful, the meat falling off the bones with the slightest touch of her chopsticks, the flavor permeating even the bones themselves. Cheng Zhanxi’s claim of culinary expertise wasn’t an exaggeration.
Yu Qingtang washed and dried the soup container, placing it in the kitchen. She didn't return it immediately.
A new neighbor lived just two doors away.
She was a painter, from a wealthy family, a skilled cook, with a gentle nature and a childlike innocence. And, of course, a few minor flaws.
The soundproofing in the building was excellent. Cheng Zhanxi was indeed quiet when alone. The hallway remained silent, just like any other night.
But as Yu Qingtang sat in her living room, the TV playing softly in the background, she couldn't shake the feeling that she wasn't alone, the air around her no longer cold and empty.
At 11 p.m., Yu Qingtang turned off the TV and went to bed, replying to Cheng Zhanxi's message from an hour and a half earlier: [I'm going to bed now. Goodnight.]
She put her phone on airplane mode and closed her eyes.
Cheng Zhanxi, her phone in her studio, saw the message close to midnight. Looking towards the door, she replied: [I'm going to bed too. Goodnight.]
The next morning.
Yu Qingtang woke up before 6 a.m., her head slightly fuzzy, her mouth dry. She went to the kitchen for a glass of water and heard a faint sound from the hallway, like a door closing.
She put down her glass and looked through the peephole.
The motion-sensor lights in the hallway were on, illuminating the elevator lobby. Cheng Zhanxi, dressed in a bright orange tracksuit with white stripes, white sneakers on her feet, her posture relaxed and graceful.
Yu Qingtang’s gaze traveled from her shoulders to her feet, then up to her delicate profile.
Suddenly, Cheng Zhanxi turned her head and looked in Yu Qingtang's direction.
Startled, Yu Qingtang instinctively covered the peephole, taking two steps back before realizing Cheng Zhanxi couldn't possibly have seen her.
She looked through the peephole again.
Cheng Zhanxi was still facing Yu Qingtang's door, a gentle smile on her face. She then turned and stepped into the elevator.
Yu Qingtang slowly backed away, her heart pounding, trying to calm down.
Mingmen Estate had dedicated gardens for residents to exercise, the damp morning air filled with the scent of flowers and fresh earth.
Even without Yu Qingtang as motivation, Cheng Zhanxi would have enjoyed the environment at Mingmen Estate. It was far superior to the area around her previous apartment. She ran a lap around the garden to warm up, then stopped by the wooden fence near the swan lake, sending Yu Qingtang a message: [Morning run, checking in at Swan Lake.]
She attached a photo.
Yu Qingtang was just about to leave for school, planning to have breakfast there, since she didn’t feel like cooking.
She stopped at the door and opened the photo.
At 6:15 a.m. on an autumn morning, the sun hadn’t yet risen, the pre-dawn light illuminating the gazebo in the center of the lake, the water clear and still, two swans gliding across its surface, creating ripples that spread outwards in concentric circles.
Cheng Zhanxi had a knack for making everything around her look beautiful.
Yu Qingtang exhaled softly, then replied: [I’m going to work.]
She then left her apartment, deliberately not checking her phone until she had nearly reached the school gates, stopping to buy breakfast. After paying, she opened her messages.
[Cheng Zhanxi]: So early? [Surprised Cheng emoji]
A few minutes later.
[Cheng Zhanxi]: I'm done with my run. Going to take a shower and have breakfast, then I’ll head to school.
The time was 6:30 a.m.
The sky was starting to lighten.
When Yu Qingtang returned to the office after morning reading duty, Cheng Zhanxi was already at her desk.
"Good morning, Ms. Yu," she greeted.
"Good morning," Yu Qingtang replied.
As she sat down, Yu Qingtang's gaze swept over Cheng Zhanxi. The temperature had dropped again, and Cheng Zhanxi was wearing a bright orange turtleneck jacket, which accentuated the delicate skin of her neck and jawline, her rosy lips, and soft features. She looked gentle and approachable.
Yu Qingtang quickly lowered her eyes.
Yang Li had recently become obsessed with… Cheng Zhanxi's clothes.
Except for her shoes, Cheng Zhanxi seemed to wear a different outfit every day, even more stylish than Yang Li, the English teacher. Cheng Zhanxi's usual style was chic and sophisticated: beige jumpsuits, khaki trench coats, white shirts paired with brown vests, three-quarter-sleeved blazers with matching pants. These clothes required height and a good figure to pull off.
Cheng Zhanxi, over 170cm tall, with long legs and a slim waist, looked effortlessly stylish. Yang Li, on the other hand, at 161cm, looked like a child in a jumpsuit, not at all like a teacher. After trying on a jumpsuit at the mall, she had sent Cheng Zhanxi a crying emoji.
Cheng Zhanxi had replied, laughing: It makes you look younger! Buy it!
Yang Li had hesitated, saying it wasn't appropriate for her age.
Cheng Zhanxi had said, You're only as old as you feel.
So, Yang Li had bought the jumpsuit to wear in her free time, but she didn't dare wear it to school.
Cheng Zhanxi had impeccable taste, and while Yang Li wanted to copy her style, she lacked the physique. Fortunately, she hadn’t asked about the price and hadn’t bought the exact same outfit; otherwise, she might have lost heart completely.
Today, upon entering the office, Yang Li immediately noticed Cheng Zhanxi's new jacket.
"Oh my god, Ms. Cheng!" Yang Li exclaimed, her voice full of admiration.
"Oh my god, Ms. Yang!" Cheng Zhanxi, always ready to play along, replied with equal enthusiasm.
Both: "Hahahaha!"
Yu Qingtang's pen paused, her writing slowing down.
Yang Li asked Cheng Zhanxi to stand up and turn around, then, her eyes shining with excitement, asked, "Do you think this jacket would look good on me?"
Cheng Zhanxi took off the jacket. "Try it on," she offered.
Yang Li draped her shawl over her chair, put on Cheng Zhanxi's jacket, zipped it up, and asked, "How do I look?"
Cheng Zhanxi looked her over for a moment. "It looks great! Your fair skin really suits this color. It makes you look younger too!" she complimented.
Yang Li beamed.
She tugged at the hem of the jacket. "Ms. Cheng, could you take a picture of me? I want to show my husband," she said.
Cheng Zhanxi raised an eyebrow. "Sure," she said.
As she took the picture, Cheng Zhanxi said enviously, "You're so lucky to have a husband, Ms. Yang. I can only admire myself in the mirror. No one to ask for their opinion…"
Yang Li’s smile widened. "You're still young, Ms. Cheng," she said, her tone teasing. "You'll have plenty of time for that later."
"Thank you for your kind words, Ms. Yang," Cheng Zhanxi replied.
Cheng Zhanxi handed Yang Li her phone, and Yang Li took off the jacket. Although it looked thin, it was surprisingly warm, and Yang Li shivered as she took it off. "Wow, your jacket is so warm, Ms. Cheng!" she exclaimed as she handed it back.
Yu Qingtang, surrounded by their cheerful chatter, hadn't heard Cheng Zhanxi's reply. When she finally tuned back in, the conversation had ended, and Cheng Zhanxi and Yang Li were back at their desks, one preparing lessons, the other quietly reading a book.
Yu Qingtang subtly shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts, then looked down at her lesson plan, her pen freezing mid-stroke.
Her usually neat handwriting had become a jumbled mess of illegible scribbles.
Yu Qingtang, startled, crossed out the messy lines and started over.
She had math class that morning.
The mid-term exam results were out, and the students had received their scores and rankings.
Class 7 had performed well overall. They were fifth in math, fourth in physics, and in the top ten for English. Except for history, which was slightly below average, all their other subjects were above average. After the streaming process in Grade 2, the current classes would be reorganized. Yu Qingtang assumed most of her students would choose science, increasing the likelihood of her teaching them again in the future.
Yu Qingtang had the class rankings. Yu Zhou was consistently in the top three, her overall ranking also quite high. Lian Yabing was first in math and in the top ten overall. Wu Peng and the others were somewhere in the middle, while Xiang Tianyou, as usual, was at the bottom of the class.
Li Lan's situation wasn't as optimistic. She had dropped from the top five to outside the top ten, barely avoiding the bottom fifteen. The petition incident had clearly affected her.
Yu Qingtang reviewed the exam papers, then, since there wasn’t enough time for new material, walked around the classroom, checking on the students’ corrections.
The bell rang.
Li Lan stood up. "Teacher!"
Yu Qingtang nodded towards her. "Come to my office," she said.
Li Lan followed Yu Qingtang back to the office. Just as she was about to speak, Yu Qingtang placed her lesson plan and textbook on her desk, picked up her bag, and said, "Let's not talk here."
Cheng Zhanxi watched them leave.
"What would you like to drink?" Yu Qingtang asked Li Lan, standing before the counter at the dessert shop.
Li Lan looked at her blankly.
Who am I? Where am I? Why is Ms. Yu buying me a drink?
Yu Qingtang, after a moment, said, "Is coconut sago pudding okay?"
Li Lan, snapping out of her daze, nodded quickly. "Yes, that's fine," she said.
Yu Qingtang turned to the cashier. "One coconut sago pudding and one…" she hesitated, then said, "ginger milk curd, please."
Cashier: "Okay, that'll be XX yuan. Cash or mobile payment?"
Yu Qingtang paid with her phone and led Li Lan to a quiet corner.
"Ms. Yu, I…" Li Lan began, her hands fidgeting nervously beneath the table.
Yu Qingtang gently interrupted her. "Let's eat first. We can talk while we eat," she said.
Sweets had a calming effect, and after a few spoonfuls of coconut sago pudding, Li Lan looked up at Yu Qingtang, her voice sincere. "I'm sorry, Ms. Yu," she said.
Yu Qingtang didn't respond, but she raised her spoon slightly, encouraging Li Lan to continue.
Li Lan: "I wasn't thoughtful enough. My thinking was too simplistic. First, I didn't consider the serious consequences the petition might have for you. Second, I was selfish and self-centered, demanding that you stay as our math teacher even if you weren't our homeroom teacher. I didn’t consider your feelings. If my classmates petitioned for me to be replaced as class monitor, but still wanted me to stay in the class, I would have been heartbroken."
Yu Qingtang looked at her.
A strange, unfamiliar feeling stirred within her… was it relief?
Li Lan continued, "During the class meeting, you gave us a choice, to vote on whether you stayed or left. The results were surprising. You asked us to think about why the outcome was so different from the petition, especially those of us who changed our minds. I voted for you to stay the second time," she confessed.
Yu Qingtang's brow arched slightly.
Li Lan: "I thought about it a lot. I think… you were trying to tell us that we should have our own opinions, that we shouldn’t blindly follow the crowd, that we shouldn't do bad things just because they seem small. Just because many people attack someone doesn't mean it’s right.
"It's easy to lose ourselves in a group, to lower our moral standards. Mob mentality is a dangerous thing. But when it comes down to individual choices, when each person holds the power to decide, we tend to think more carefully. We couldn't see each other's choices during the vote, so we had to follow our own conscience, to weigh the pros and cons. That’s why the results were so different. This applies not just to this situation, but to life in general. We need to be rational and objective, not slaves to our emotions."
Li Lan paused, looking at Yu Qingtang, her expression a mix of nervousness and a flicker of hope for a response.
Yu Qingtang gave a slight nod of approval.
Li Lan exhaled softly. "As class monitor, I should have set a better example," she said, her voice filled with remorse. "Instead, I initiated this whole thing, this… mob mentality. I didn’t even bother to find out how everyone really felt. I used my position to manipulate them. I hurt you, and I influenced my classmates negatively." She paused for a long moment, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I'm not a good class monitor."
She looked up at Yu Qingtang, her eyes sincere. "So," she said, "I want to resign as class monitor."
Yu Qingtang put down her spoon, the soft clink echoing in the quiet dessert shop.
"I was wrong too," she said. "Everything you said to me that evening was right. I haven’t been a good homeroom teacher."
Li Lan opened her mouth, as if to protest, but then closed it again, remaining silent.
Yu Qingtang continued, her voice calm, "You didn't blindly agree with me just because I admitted my mistake. That shows you really have developed your own judgment."
Li Lan bit her lip, wanting to say something but stopping herself.
"Teacher, can I ask you a question?" she finally said.
"Go ahead," Yu Qingtang replied.
"Were you intentionally not remembering our names? You grade our homework every day. Don't you see our names on our papers?" They were constantly in Yu Qingtang's presence; it should be impossible not to remember them, right?
Yu Qingtang didn't reply immediately. After a long pause, she said, "To be precise, it's not that I can't remember your names. It's that I can't match your names to your faces."
A sudden realization struck Li Lan.
"Are you… face-blind?" she asked.
Yu Qingtang nodded in confirmation.
Li Lan was stunned.
Yu Qingtang, picking up her spoon again, said calmly, "Please don't tell anyone yet. I plan to announce it during Friday's class meeting. "
Yu Qingtang still had half a semester to go as their homeroom teacher. Before, she hadn't realized how much it mattered to her students whether she knew their names or not. Now that she knew, even though she still preferred not to form close attachments, telling them the truth was a matter of respect, and it was her professional duty.
Li Lan nodded vigorously, zipping her lips shut, promising to keep the secret.
She thought to herself: I finally have the recognition and closeness I craved from my homeroom teacher, but it's my last day as class monitor.
"Why do you want to resign?" Yu Qingtang returned to the main topic. "Are your classmates dissatisfied with you?"
"No, it's my own fault. I don't deserve to be class monitor."
"Just because of this incident?"
"Isn't it serious enough?" Li Lan had been consumed with guilt, unable to focus even on her studies.
"You think it's serious?" Yu Qingtang countered.
"Of course."
"You regret it?"
"Yes."
"And your solution is to resign? To run away from your responsibilities?"
Li Lan was speechless.
Yu Qingtang rephrased her question. "Do you still want to be class monitor?" she asked.
Li Lan nodded without hesitation.
Yu Qingtang: "It's not about making mistakes, but how you handle them. Running away is never the answer. Facing your mistakes, taking responsibility for your actions, that's what matters."
She slowly ate her ginger milk curd, letting Li Lan ponder her words.
After a long moment, Li Lan’s voice, filled with remorse, broke the silence. "But I wronged you the most," she said. "I don't deserve to be class monitor anymore…"
Yu Qingtang brushed it off lightly. "I've forgiven you," she said calmly.
Li Lan looked up, surprised. "Huh?"
Yu Qingtang dabbed her lips with a tissue. "I was the one who was wronged," she said. "And I've let it go, so you shouldn't dwell on it either. If anything, it was my fault to begin with."
Li Lan: "..."
Yu Qingtang: "Think about whether you still want to be class monitor. Let me know your decision during Friday's class meeting. Now, go back to class. You're missing your politics lesson. "
Li Lan, still slightly dazed, "Okay," she said.
Back in the classroom, Li Lan sat at her desk, lost in thought, oblivious to the politics teacher's passionate lecture.
Her deskmate nudged her.
Li Lan snapped out of her daze and realized the teacher was looking at her, the other students turning their heads as well.
Li Lan stood up.
Her deskmate whispered the teacher's question. Li Lan flipped through her textbook, her mind still elsewhere, completely lost. She mouthed to her deskmate: Which page?
Her deskmate showed her the page.
The teacher, seeing this, knew Li Lan hadn't been paying attention. But instead of scolding her, he asked kindly, "Haven't been sleeping well lately?"
Li Lan, ashamed, lowered her head.
The teacher smiled gently. "Sit down," he said.
He called on the class representative for politics, who answered the question correctly and fluently, then sat down.
When Yu Qingtang returned to the office, Ge Jing, sitting at her desk by the door, smiled. "You seem to be in a good mood today, Ms. Yu," she commented, assuming it was because she was about to see Cheng Zhanxi. Yu Qingtang's steps had been unusually light.
Yu Qingtang wondered: How can she tell?
As she passed Cheng Zhanxi's desk, Cheng Zhanxi leaned forward, lowering her voice. "Where were you?" she asked.
Yu Qingtang stopped and whispered back, "Talking to Li Lan."
"How did it go?"
"It was okay."
"What did you talk about?"
Ge Jing, watching them, couldn't help but smile to herself.
Look at these youngsters, whispering sweet nothings as soon as they were back in the office, not letting anyone else hear.
Yu Qingtang, finally realizing it was inappropriate to be standing there chatting with Cheng Zhanxi, especially in front of her colleagues, said, "I'll tell you later."
Cheng Zhanxi smiled. "We can talk on the way home," she said, her voice carrying through the office.
Yu Qingtang nodded. "Okay," she replied.
Ge Jing: "!!!"
Ms. Cheng and Ms. Yu are living together! A wedding is definitely on the way!
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